Amy Kate Connolly Hopes to Be Disney’s Fairy Godmother

As a self-described Disney fanatic, Palisadian Amy Kate Connolly has achieved her dream come true’almost. The Palisades resident is one of 10 finalists for the Chief Magic Official for Disney Parks. If she wins the position, Connolly will become a Disney emissary officiating at new attractions and events, and developing magical guest experiences at various Disney theme parks worldwide. From more than 1,300 video applications, contest sponsors Disney and CareerBuilder.com, winnowed down the field to five women and five men nationwide. Connolly is the only finalist from Southern California. The 10 top video resumes will be voted on by Americans, and the top three vote-getters will take part in a three-day event at a Walt Disney World Resort that will test their creativity, enthusiasm, knowledge of the parks, and magic aptitude. This contest is part of Disney’s ‘Year of a Million Dreams’ celebration, during which one million prizes will be given out randomly at the park,’ Connolly explains. ‘If I win, I would be in charge of magic at the park from May 1 to April 30 next year. I would be most excited about the Fourth of July celebration at Disneyland this year, when a naturalization ceremony will be part of a dream come true for so many people.’ Connolly became clued into the contest ironically when husband David Trotti, a first assistant director for television, was searching CareerBuilder.com during the recent writers strike. ‘He read about the job and thought ‘My wife is a Disney fanatic. Why not?” The couple prepared a 58-second video, wherein Amy is miraculously anointed with magical powers, which she uses to turn herself into a fairy godmother. Using simple computer programs and a lot of imagination, the couple transformed their Palisades home into a magic castle, and finished the piece with a shot taken at Disneyland. ‘My whole thing is that there is a little fairy godmother in all of us,’ Connolly says. ‘My reward would be to see others’ dreams come true. When you witness something at Disneyland at the same time, like the fireworks show, that event binds you as a community, if just for a moment. Magical things are happening unexpectedly all across the park that make people feel special, and it builds positive memories for your whole life. ‘The contest is really about promoting dreams, ‘ she continues, ‘whether it’s a dream vacation or a dream job.’ While Connolly does not know how many votes her video has garnered–it’s a blind tally’she stresses that she is working it. ‘I’ve already put my own daughter Chelsea to work campaigning for me, ‘ she says. ‘She’s only four, but the preschool set is a pretty important demographic to me. ‘We can vote up until March 22. One of last year’s winners got 83,000 votes. I have only 73 friends. Maybe they can vote at least 10 times.’ To view the video, visit www.dreamcmo.com/amy.